Follower for filing-cabinets.



SHEET 1.

Patented M 2 S H E ET S D. A. CARLSON, R. F. UNDERWOOD @L C. D. JADERSTROIV.

FoLLowER FOR FILING CABINETS.

APPLICA-HON FILED AUG.719|5.

EBSQ-mw D. A. CARLSON, R. F. UNDERWOOD L C. D. JADERSTROM.

FOLLOWER FOR FILING CABINETS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I7. I9I5.

Patented May 29, 19N.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENT @lltll'lll/GE,

DAVE@ CARLSN, RALPH F. UNDERVTOOID, AND CHARLES D. JADERSTROM, OF JAMES- T'WN, NEW YRK, ASSIGNORS T0 ART METAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, 0F JAMBES TDT/27N, NEW YORK, A CORPORATGN @F MASSACHUSETTS.

Application led August 17, 1915.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be -it known that we, DAVID A. CARLsoN, RALPH Unnnnwoon, and CHARLES D. JADnns'rRor/l, citizens of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Followers for Filing-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

rl`his invention is a follower for filing cabinets and has for its object to provide certain new and useful improvements in the construction and arrangement of parts of the device, as will simplify the construction thereof, reduce the cost of the device, increase its eiiiciency, and facilitate the handling of the follower.

ldith these and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the drawings, and particularly set forth in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details may be made, within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacridcing any of the advantages of the invention.

ln the drawings,

Figure l is a cross-sectional view of a tiling drawer containing the follower of the present invention, the follower being in elevatlon.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2-2 ofig.- l.

Fig. 3ds an enlarged fragmentary perspective View of the middle back portion of the body of the follower.

Fig. el is a detail perspective view of the slide or carriage.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the locking dog.

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the blank, from which the body of the follower is formed, showing the slits and notches before bending the parts into shape.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the slide or carriage is formed.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the blank for the locking dog.

Like characters of reference designate coran Specification of Letters Patent.

ratenten may es, fait.,

Seal No. 46,@19.

responding parts in each of the figures of the drawings.

The follower of the present invention includes three main parts, the body A, which is'formed from a single metal plate, the slide or carriage B, which is likewise bent up from a single plate of metal, and the locking dog C also struck from a single metal blank The body A of the follower has a lower substantially vertical portion i, and an upper portion 2 which is set at an angle to the vertical and inclines rearwardly fromtbe top of the upright portion l, for a purpose as will be hereinafter explained. ln the top edge of the body there is a recess 3 of considerable size and substantially semi-circular in shape. ln the front face of the follower body and opposite the vmiddle of the recess 3 there is a depression el constituting a seat to receive the thumb of the hand of an Operator, as will hereinafter appear. The bottom edge of the body is bent rearwardly to form a substantially horizontal dange 5 extending the full width of the body.

'lhe middle portion of this flange, as best shown in the blank illustrated in Fig. 6, is somewhat wider than the main portion of the flange, as indicated at 6, and the ends of this part of the blank are separated from the flange 5 by means of the notches or recesses 7 and 8 respectively, cut in the rear -edges of the flange 5. The portion 6 is bent upwardly to form an upstanding flange, and the ends 9 and l0 thereof are bent inwardly across the top of the flange 5, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing. ln the upright portion l of the body of the follower, and opposite the ends of the flange 6, ears 11 and 12 are bent rearwardly and disposed across the flange 5 in Contact with the ends of the flange 6, said ears il and 12 being preferably spot-welded to the abutments or shoulders 9 and l0 on the ends of the flange 6. Each of the ears l1 and 12 is substantially oblong in shape, but its upper outer edge 13 is beveled or inclined upwardly and forwardly toward the body of the follower.

tgl

The cutting or slitting of the plate prior to the bending up of the ears 11 and 12 is shown in F ig. 6 of the drawings.

The body of the follower is mounted upon a slide or carriage B, as hereinbefore referred to, and this carriage is shown in detail in Figs. t and 7 of the drawings. The slide or carriage includes a pair of substantially parallel side bars 15, each of which is in the form of an angle bar, one flange of which depends from the outer edge of the other or substantially horizontal flange. lThese side loafs are connected at their rear ends by a cross head 16 which is integral with the side oars and is bent or struck upwardly so as to be elevated slightly above the plane of the top faces of the side bars 15. An integral flange 17 dependsfrom the front edge of the cross-head 16, and this flange has reduced. terminals 18 which fit snugly the inner faces of the flanges of the respective side bars. ln the middle of the flange 1'? is an opening 19. ln Fig. 7 of the drawings will be seen the blank in its form prior to being bent to produce the slide or carriage of Fig. 1. will here be explained that by reason of the bending up or elevation of the cross-head 15, the side bars are drawn inwardly and consequently the terminals 18 of the flange 17 are brought into snug engagement with the anges of the side bars.

The follower body is supported upon the slide or carriage, that portion of the flange 5 between the ears 11 and 12 resting upon the top of the cross-head 16 and spotwelded thereto,v whereby a strong and simple connection is obtained between the slide or carriage and the follower body. As the crosshead 16 is offset above the side bars 15, the latter are spaced slightly below the bottom edge of the follower' body, and said side members extend forwardly a ,suitable distance in front of the body.

The locking dog C is applied to the back of the follower and has longitudinal side flanges 20 which embrace the ears 11 and 12 to which the dog is pivotally connected by having the pivot lugs 14e received within openings 21 formed in the respective side flanges 20. 'llhe lower straight edge of the dog'is beveled as shown at 22 so as to form a sharp knife edge, and in the middle of this knife edge there is a notch or recess 23. From the middle portion of the dog, a spring tongue 24C is struck, said tongue bearing against the upright portion of the body of the follower and forcing the upper portion of the dog rearwardly and the lower portion forwardly so as to maintain the dog always under spring tension. rl`he tongue is provided with a rib 25 so as to sti'en the same. A

'Il lie follower of the present invention is designed to be used in a drawer or the like CNTI? for a follower guide. A conventional form of drawer is shown 26 in Figs. 1 and EZ of the drawings. rlfhe bottom of this drawer has a central longitudinal depression 27 in which is the usual giudeway 2S in the form of a channel bar having the tops 29 of its side flanges extending inwardly so as to overhang the guideway. rEhe slide or carriage of the present follower fits within the guideway with its side bars 15 overhung by the flanges 29 of the guideway, the carriage being of a size to have a slidable feed within the guideway. Normally,.under the tension of the spring 24, the sharp bottoni edge of the dog C is held in biting enger/ement with the top of the guideway, whereby the follower is locked at any adjusted position. The follower may be released by placing the thumb of the hand in the seat or depression in the top of the fol-lower body and the lingers of 'the hand against the bach of the top portion of the dog, and by pressing upon the. dog its lower edge may be swung upwardly and rearwardly out of engagement with the guideway, whereupon the foln lower may be moved in either direction and afterward lcclred in its new position merely by releasing 'the dog.

By reference more particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the lower portion 1 of the follower body is in a substantially upright position and is designed to directly engage the papers in front of the follower, while the upper por-V tion 2 of the follower body is inclined rearwardly, whereby said inclined portion is not in direct Contact with the papers in front of the follower, or at least does not bear against them with any material degree of tightness, whereby the thumb of the operator may be conveniently placed in the depression i without requiring that the papers be forced forwardly away from thev follower. By reducing the height of the body of the follower at the middle thereof, by reason of the recess 3, -a relatively short locking dog may beemployed, and considerable material is thereb saved.

The employment o an integral spring tongue 2e reduces the number of parts in the device, simplifies the assemblage thereof and insures an effective spring tension upon the dog.

is best shown in Fi s. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the notch 23 1n the dog and the opening 19 in the depending flange 17 of the slide or carriage B is designed to receive the usual card retaining rod 30 without binding'thereon.

lt will be noted that the notch or recess 8 in the ange 5 is Wider than the notch or recess 7, and is intended to accommodate the latch of a locking mechanism as sometimes provided at the back of a drawer.

No rivets or other extraneous fastenings are employed in the construction of the present device, while at the same time the parts of the device are effectually connected and there is no liability of any vof the parts becoming loose or separated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A Jfollower comprising a slide or carriage, a sheet metal follower body rising from the carriage and provided with a pair of ears bent therefrom, each ear having an integral pivot bent therefrom and extending transversely thereof, and a locking dog having side flanges lapping the ears and provided with openings receiving the respec tive pivots and pivot-ally connecting the dog to the ears.

2. A follower comprising a slide or carriage and a follower body supported thereon, the carriage having spaced side mem-- bers, a cross bar connecting the side members and integral therewith, and a flange integral with the cross head and depending therefrom between the side bars.

3. A follower comprising a follower body and a slide or carriage therefor, said slide or 'carriage having spaced side bars, a cross head `connecting the side bars and integral therewith and bent into an offset position above the side bars, the cross head having a depending integral flange provided with reduced terminals engaging the respec bars.

Witnesses:

ABIAH D. DREYER, R. FENTON FISHER.

tive side 

